1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to windshield wiper assemblies and, more specifically, to a beam blade windshield wiper assembly having an elongated, curved backbone with an attached wiper blade and which includes a mounting coupler for quick connect and disconnect to a wiper arm.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional windshield wiper assemblies known in the related art include some type of blade assembly mounted to an arm which, in turn, is mounted adjacent the windshield and pivotally driven to impart reciprocating motion to the wiper blade assembly across the windshield. A rubber wiping element is supported by the blade assembly and contacts the windshield across the surface to be wiped. The wiper element often incorporates one or more metal strips which act to reinforce the wiper element and facilitate wiping contact by the element across what is typically a curved glass surface.
One type of blade assembly commonly employed in the related art includes a xe2x80x9ctournamentxe2x80x9d style superstructure including a primary lever carried by the arm, two or more secondary levers and a series of two or more tertiary levers. The secondary levers are articulated to the primary lever at pivot points located at the opposed, lateral ends of the primary lever. Similarly, the tertiary levers are each articulated to a secondary lever at pivot points located at the opposed lateral ends of the secondary levers. As noted above, the blade assembly is located on the end of the wiper arm and represents a significant portion of the inertia generated by the wiping system when in operation. Furthermore, the profile of the blade assembly as it is reciprocated across the windshield is an important design consideration with respect to avoiding wind lift at higher vehicle speeds. In addition, since components of the windshield wiping system are often visible, even when not in operation, the aesthetic appearance of the components of the system is an important design consideration.
Beam blade type windshield wiper assemblies are also known in the art. The beam blade type windshield wiper includes an single elongated, homogeneous strip forming a spring backbone. The backbone has a connecting formation at a central position for connection to a reciprocally driven arm which applies a downward force and moves the blade assembly across the windshield. The backbone is curved along a single plane which is the same plane of curvature as that defined by the windshield. A wiper element is secured to the backbone. Examples of beam blade type windshield wipers can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,564 issued Jul. 5, 1994, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,650 issued Jan. 23, 1996, both in the name of Swanepoel. The beam blade backbone disclosed in the Swanepoel ""650 and ""564 patents is made from spring steel and generally tapers both in width and thickness from its center towards its free ends or tips. Swanepoel teaches that the thickness and width of the backbone and its radius of curvature should preferably be matched at every point along the length of the backbone so that the backbone will provide a force per unit length distribution in a longitudinal direction which increases towards both tips of the windshield wiper when the windshield wiper is in use, pressed downward intermediate its ends onto a flat surface. Beam blade wiper assemblies have the advantages of a lower profile as compared with tournament style wiper assemblies, consist of fewer parts and are considered to be aesthetically pleasing.
Coupling devices of various types have long been used to interconnect the wiper arm to the blade assembly. However, some coupling devices commonly employed for tournament style windshield wiper assemblies have suffered from the disadvantage that they are overly complex or bulky and therefore are not acceptable for use with beam blade type windshield wiper assemblies. On the other hand, the beam blade windshield wiper assemblies presently known in the art have often employed crude coupling devices which detract from the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the beam blade and do not effectively transfer the downwardly directed wiping force from the wiper arm to the backbone so that the entire wiping surface of the windshield is effectively serviced.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need in the art for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly having an improved coupling device that is aesthetically pleasing and operationally effective so as to properly distribute the wiping force from the wiper arm to the backbone. In addition, there is a need in the art for such a coupling device that has a low profile, few parts, is easy and cost-effective to manufacture as well as being easy to install.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages in the related art in a beam blade windshield wiper assembly having an elongated backbone defining a longitudinal beam length which extends between first and second longitudinal ends so as to define a longitudinal axis with an intermediate portion therebetween. The backbone has an upper surface and an opposed mounting surface with first and second sides extending between the upper surface and the mounting surface. A wiper element is mounted to the mounting surface of the backbone and extends for a substantial portion of its longitudinal beam length. The assembly further includes a coupler which is adapted to interconnect the backbone to a wiper arm. The coupler includes a spring clip mounted to the backbone and a coupler housing adapted to be mounted to the wiper arm. The spring clip includes a base supported on the upper surface of the backbone, a spring seat disposed spaced from the upper surface of the backbone and a spring biased tongue extending in the direction of the longitudinal beam length and disposed spaced from the upper surface of the backbone. The coupler housing defines a cavity and has a pivot pin extending across the cavity and transverse to the longitudinal beam length. The pivot pin is rotatably received and supported between the spring seat and the tongue with the tongue biasing the pin into engagement with the spring seat.
One advantage of the present invention is that it provides a beam blade type windshield wiper assembly having an improved coupler which is aesthetically pleasing and is operatively effective so as to properly distribute the wiping force from the wiper arm to the backbone thereby servicing the entire surface to be wiped on the windshield.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the coupler has a low profile and few parts.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that it is easy to install employing structure which provides a quick connect and disconnect feature.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that it is cost-effective to manufacture.